Simon Says
by Mar Komi
Summary: While doing a job for Badger he didn't exactly volunteer to, Simon calls on Inara for help. Fourth installment in the Eagle series.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I love them as if they were my own, but sadly they're not.

**Characters: **Mostly Simon and Inara. The others will pop in from time to time, though some more than others.

**A/N: **This is the fourth story in my series, following "Eagle", "Lessons" and "Here Comes The Rain", and it takes place about two weeks after the latter. It is set between the series and the movie, and also makes a few references to the incidents in the comic book _Serenity: Those Left Behind. _It will, however, still make sense even if you haven't read it.

* * *

><p><strong>Simon Says<strong>

Of all the many, many places in the 'verse that stirred up a feeling of ambivalence in Captain Malcolm Reynolds, none measured up to Persephone. As he stood on the bridge of _Serenity, _watching the familiar planet gradually grow bigger as they approached it, he once again found himself wondering whether he loved it or hated it. Located at the very edge of the Core, it was by many considered the last civilized stopping place before you ventured out into the wild frontier. Mal knew better; he had been to plenty of worlds on the Rim that he'd found a lot more civilized than Persephone, only less fancy. But he guessed the Alliance saw 'fancy' and 'civilized' as being the same thing.

Anyway, when it came to resupplying, Persephone was always the best place to go. It had a well-functioning, smoothly run black market where close to everything was available and where few or no questions were asked. And so, regardless of how he felt about the place, he had to go there once in a while.

Next to him, in the pilot seat, Wash was preparing the ship for landing. "We're about to hit atmo," he declared, a little needlessly. "We're cleared for docking. Touchdown in ten minutes – or less, if I mess up again." He chuckled. Mal gave him a sideways glare and he added, mumbling, "That was a joke, not funny, I know, sorry."

Mal said nothing, just left the bridge, and as he jumped off the staircase and his foot hit the floor of the hallway, the ship shook a little as it entered the atmosphere and the gravity trust went off-line. He quickly regained his balance and went on his way to the cargo bay.

"Jayne!" he hollered as he stepped out unto the catwalk. Spotting his mercenary at his workout station, he continued down the gallery and went down the stairs at the other end.

Jayne was hard at work getting his right leg back into shape. It was only his second day out of the cast and judging by the amount of time he'd spent with his weights since then, he was quite impatient to regain his normal level of strength and mobility. He glanced up at the captain as he approached, raising his eyebrows in a quizzical frown.

"How's the leg?" Mal asked as he stopped in front of him.

"Gettin' there," Jayne mumbled.

"Good, 'cause I'm taking you planet-side."

Jayne's eyebrows crept up even further, this time with a more pleased and hopeful look on his face. "Yeah?"

"Can't have you lazin' about no more. Time to do what you're paid to. 'Sides, you've been more or less stuck on the ship for the last couple a months, a change of scenery would do you good. Not to mention how good it'd do everybody else, you steppin' off the boat for a spell."

"Ha ha," the big man grunted. He stood, threw his towel over his shoulder and grabbed the cane he'd left propped up against the workout bench. "I'm ready. Jus' gonna go get my guns."

"No more than you can conceal," Mal warned him as he limped away. "We'll be lookin' for a job, not a fight. Don't want people gettin' the wrong impression."

"Yeah, yeah," his merc muttered impatiently as he made his way up the stairs, a little slower than usual, something that seemed to annoy him ever so much.

Mal watched him until he disappeared into the hallway, silently wondering if he was doing the right thing. But he shook his head, deciding it was a chance worth taking, and walked to the control panel by the bay doors to wait for the well-known thump of the ship touching down.

It came a few minutes later and as soon as Wash's confirmation had reached him over the com, he pressed the button to open the doors and the spicy scent of the Eavesdown Docks rushed inside and into his nostrils. He inhaled sharply and allowed a tiny smile to cross his features. At least _sometimes_ he liked this place.

Behind him, the others were beginning to gather. He turned and saw Kaylee walking in from the commons, with that broad smile on her face and that happy bounce in her steps he'd come appreciate so much. At the same time Zoë entered from above, making her way down the stairs; she had the shopping list with her, her eyes scanning it as she was going through it one last time.

"Can we afford all of this?" she asked Mal as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Probably not," Mal replied. "So you're gonna have to haggle."

Zoë suppressed a sigh. "Better look up Lu then. She owes us a favor or two."

Mal nodded. "You should be able to find everything on the list without too much trouble, though, 'cept maybe the ammo for the Buhnder. That gorram thing's so antiquated a museum's probably the best place to go lookin'."

Zoë smiled a little. "What about the infirmary? That need restockin' too?"

"It does," they heard Simon's voice. "And that's why I'm going with you."

They turned around to face him, and Mal had to bite his lip not to burst out laughing at the sight. The young doctor, who'd normally wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything else than his neat and ridiculously clean clothes, was now donning one of Wash's crazy patterned shirts, a baggy pair of pants and the silly orange glasses he'd had on the very first time Mal laid eyes on him. Kaylee was standing next to him, beaming with pride.

"I don't need remind you you're a wanted man, Doc?" Mal asked, but only just managing to keep the laughter out of his voice. "And Persephone was your last known location. It might not be the best place for you to be runnin' around."

"That's why we dressed him up," Kaylee smiled. "Ain't nobody gonna recognize him from the pictures now."

She got up on her toes and ruffled up his hair, and Simon almost unconsciously tried to smoothen it again. "Not the best plan in the 'verse, I know," he admitted.

"Probably one of the _worst,_" Mal corrected him. "This ain't like you, Doc. Why the sudden urge to step off the boat here of all places?"

"Oh, there's no urge, trust me," Simon replied with a frown. "But we need more morphine, and after what happened the last time..."

"Hey, I did my best!"

"I know, and it was a good forgery," the doctor said, not unkindly. "It's not easy distinguishing the real thing from the placebos. And that's why I think it would be best if _I _was the one going shopping for it."

Mal still hesitated. "Look, I won't have time to watch your back."

"Don't need you to. I know where to find this stuff, and these glasses will prevent any high-tech security equipment scanning my irises for my true identity. I'll be fine."

"And your sister?

"She stays here, of course. The shepherd's agreed to look after her."

Mal thought on it for a moment more. "Okay, fine. Kaylee, you go with him. Might give his new alias some kind of credibility."

"Sure, Cap."

"Hey, Doc, lookin' good," they heard Wash's voice and they turned to see him smiling at them from the top of the staircase.

"Right," Simon mumbled as the pilot came down to join them.

"You take good care of that shirt," he said. "I _always _scored wearing that."

Mal arched his brow. "Wow, there really _is _a planet for everything."

"Oh, he's just jealous," Wash told the doctor, waving the captain off. "Once I went home with no less than _three_ little…" Just then his eyes met Zoë's and he abruptly stopped his reminiscing. "That was of course before I met my incredibly sexy and beautiful wife."

"M-hm," Zoë said. "Doctor, you can keep that shirt."

Jayne returned from his bunk just then and Mal saw – to his satisfaction and somewhat great surprise – that his hired muscle actually had done what he'd been told and not overburdened himself with weapons. As far as Mal could see he'd only brought his two sidearms, half hidden under his green jacket. He limped down the stairs, still using the cane and eyed Simon suspiciously. "What's this?"

"That's the doctor," Mal replied. "He's tryin' out somethin' new today."

He was interrupted by a loud thudding sound emitting from the common area by the infirmary, followed by the surprised shout of Shepherd Book's and the shrilling voice of River's, and they all turned to look in that direction.

"Well," Mal said when a few seconds of silence had passed and nothing else had happened, "best get goin'."

* * *

><p>"So, are we goin' to another one of Badger's tea parties?" Jayne asked Mal fifteen minutes later, as they were making their way down one of Eavesdown's many winding streets.<p>

"Not if I can help it," Mal answered. "I'm done with that little weasel."

"Badgers ain't weasels," Jayne remarked. "But they belong to the same family of mammals." Mal stopped long enough to give him a quizzical glare. "What?" the mercenary protested. "I was laid up for a long time. I had to read _somethin_'."

They walked on. "No, I ain't talkin' to Badger," Mal continued. "'Sides, I don't think he'd welcome us anyhow. Not after what we done to 'im the last time our paths crossed. Droppin' 'im in the middle of nowhere like that."

Before Jayne got to answer they heard footsteps behind them and then the cocking of guns. "Then again, I _could _be wrong," Mal said.

He and Jayne eyed each other, communicating wordlessly, synchronizing their next move, and then – in one fluid motion – they both drew their weapons and spun around and pointed the barrels of their guns at…

Badger was standing there, his bowler hat pushed back at the back of his head and his oversized tweed jacket opened at the front. He was unarmed, but behind him five of his men were lined up, all pointing various pistols and rifles at Mal and Jayne.

"Well, speak of the devil," Mal muttered and then spoke up, "Badger! I see you found your way back home."

"Malcolm Reynolds, heard you was back," Badger said, ignoring the comment, and Mal noticed how his eyes were colder and less teasing than before.

"Good news travel fast around here."

"And nothing gets past me, I assure you. I basically run this gorram place, you know that. You got some nerve showing up 'ere."

"If it makes you feel better, the plan was to avoid you," Mal said. "We're not here for business."

"Well, _I _am," Badger replied.

"Not interested."

"I didn't say it was with _you_, now, did I?" Badger's face stayed dead serious. "No, _you, _I'm 'ere to kill."

"That so?" Mal gripped his gun tighter. "Yeah, I can see why you would wanna do that. I'd advice against it, though. Odds are Jayne or myself will have just enough time to put a bullet in your brain before we're taken down. That's of course assuming you have one."

Badger's eyes narrowed, and for a long beat they just stood there, the two parties pointing their weapons at each other, waiting for someone to make that one stupid move. Then the self-proclaimed lord of Persephone's underworld smirked and lifted his hands in a defensive manner. "Alrigh', got more impor'ant things on today's to-do list than dealing with losers such as yourselves anyhow." He shifted his gaze to Jayne and eyed his cane for a moment. "What 'appened to _you_?" he asked.

"Little accident," Mal said before Jayne got a chance to reply. "How about we just go our separate ways now, how's that?"

"By all means," Badger said and gestured for his men to drop their weapons. Mal and Jayne did the same, but kept an observant eye on the little man and his gunslingers as they stepped back. "Good luck finding any work 'ere, though. Like I said, I run this gorram place."

Mal gave him one last poisoned look before he reached the corner and turned and walked away.

"You think he's right?" Jayne asked as they continued down the street.

"Nah." Mal shook his head. "Badger might be the king of Eavesdown, but not of the whole planet. Gotta be someone _somewhere_ on this gorram rock in need of our services."

A young boy ran past him at that very same moment, snatching his money pouch from his belt. He didn't get far though: Jayne cloth-lined him with his cane, knocking him over. Then he bent down and picked him up, took the pouch back and shook him violently before dropping him back to the ground. "Now, get!" he snarled as the boy scrambled to his feet and ran away and then he turned back towards his captain, grinning. "Oh, it's good to be back outside."

* * *

><p>Kaylee had looked forward to explore the docks alone with Simon, and even though it hadn't quite turned out the way she'd hoped, she'd still enjoyed it. They had walked the crowded streets – he in hurry as if he wanted to get it over with as fast as possible, she taking her time to see the sights, smell the scents and just <em>sense <em>what it was like to be planet-side again. She skipped from store to store, from stand to stand, looking at all the strange things one could buy. Simon was always right behind her, tense and jumpy, despite her many attempts to calm and distract him.

"Look, Kaylee," he urged her for the umpteenth time. "I think we ought to go buy that medicine now."

"Oh, we're not in a hurry," she said, not taking her eyes of the colorful scarves she was admiring. "We've got time for some pleasantries first. I, for one, have put aside some money and I wanna buy myself somethin' nice." She looked at him over her shoulder, smiling.

He sighed, but relented. "Okay." He walked over to another stand to have a look at the merchandise, or at least to pretend to be looking at it.

Still smiling, she turned back towards the scarves and tried to pick the one she liked best. The thought of him standing there right behind her made her feel all fuzzy inside, and she almost blacked out with joy as the warm wind and the sounds from the traffic engulfed her and wrapped around her like a blanket of pure happiness.

"Simon?" she said. "Which of these do you think suit me best?" She turned around with a red scarf in one hand and a blue one in the other, holding them up to her face.

He was gone.

"Simon?" she repeated, scanning the area.

Still no sight of him.

With her heart beating increasingly faster in her chest, she dropped the scarves and ran out into the middle of the street, turning her head in all directions, searching for him. Persephone was a place of color, but Wash's shirt still shouldn't be too hard to spot in a crowd. But she didn't see it.

"Simon?" she called.

He wasn't there.

"Simon!"


	2. Chapter 2

When Simon felt strong hands grab him from behind and had a bag pulled down over his head, the following thoughts flashed through his mind: First he thought the Alliance had found him, but after further consideration he concluded that this wasn't really their typical method of arrest. His next thought was about backwater inbreds in need of a doctor, and then he remembered that he was on Persephone and not on some God-forsaken rock out on the Rim. In short, by the time his kidnappers had thrown him into some kind of vehicle and started driving, he'd already shuffled through all the worst-case scenarios in his head and discarded them all.

Not that he wasn't still worried. Whoever these people were, he very much doubted that they were throwing him surprise party. But he wasn't panicking and he managed to stay calm during the drive. At one point he tried asking where they were going, but it only earned him a fist to his solar plexus and after that he kept his mouth shut until the vehicle stopped and he was dragged out of it and into a building. He still couldn't see anything, but he sharpened the rest of his senses and realized that the room they eventually ended up in was quite small. It smelled of fish and old sweat. Several people were shuffling about around him and he heard the sound of a fan from the ceiling.

He wasn't really that surprised to see Badger when the bag was pulled off his head; the man had been a most plausible candidate on his list of possible offenders. He was sitting behind a desk, peeling an apple (it seemed he always had apples around; Simon had never seen him without one – but then again he'd only seen Badger twice before), with a big grin across his face that showed off all his bad teeth.

"You," Simon acknowledged him.

"Welcome," Badger replied. "Please, have a seat." He waved his hand towards a low chair in the middle of the room, in front of the desk.

Simon didn't move. "Why am I here?" he asked.

"Ah, you're not one for small talk, eh?" Badger kept smiling. "More of a straight-down-to-business kinda guy?"

Simon didn't answer, and Badger's smile suddenly disappeared and he leaned over the table, stabbing him with eyes. "Well, so am I. And I've brought you 'ere 'cause I've got a job for you."

"Then you're negotiating with the wrong person. I don't speak for the crew. Captain Reynolds does."

Badger's face hardened even more. "The captain can go to hell," he snarled, but then seemed to soften up again just as quick. "No, you misunderstand me," he smirked. "I said, I've got a job for _you._" He pointed a finger at Simon to underline the last word.

"For me?" Simon fought to stay calm, but for the very first time since he'd stepped into the room he was starting to feel more than a little worried. He'd always known it was just a matter of time before one of Mal's shady contacts would figure out who he really was, and he's money had been on Badger to be that man. "What can you possibly want from _me?_"

"Well, I 'appen to be in need of a doctor."

Simon just stared at him, feeling his neck and the palms of his hands moisten. He tried to think of River and find comfort by the fact that she was safe aboard _Serenity_. Or at least he thought she was…

"Wha'?" Badger raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "You didn't know I knew you was a doctor? Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout the medic Cap'n Reynolds got workin' for 'im."

Well, so the crook knew his profession. That didn't necessarily mean that he knew his identity. Simon decided to play along. "Why?"

"Why wha'?"

"Why do you need a doctor? Are you sick?"

Badger grinned again. "No, not me. One of my men."

"One of your men is sick?"

"More like dead."

Simon arched a brow, not really feigning the surprise anymore. "Well, then don't you think he's a little beyond my help?"

Badger chuckled. "Didn't bring you 'ere to cure 'im. I brought you 'ere to find out what killed 'im." His face turned grave again and Simon flinched a little. Except for the captain, he'd never seen anyone's mood swing so fast. "See, this mornin' he's goin' on and on about his tummy achin'," Badger continued. He whistled and snapped his fingers. "Next thing I know, he's a stiff on the floor."

For the first time Simon took his eyes off him and gazed around the room. Badger's men were lined up against the walls. They looked well relaxed, smoking cigars and exchanging a few whispered words with each other, but there was no doubt in Simon's mind that they were paying attention, ready to jump at the first sign of trouble.

He turned back to face their boss. "So you snatched me from the street, _kidnapped _me, to do an autopsy on your man?"

"Yup."

"Couldn't you just have asked?"

"Would you 'ave come if I had?"

Simon bit his lip for a moment. "Probably not."

Badger threw his arms up. "Precisely."

Simon sighed. "Alright, where are you keeping the body?"

He was taken to another room at the other end of the building, if one could even call it that. Most of Badger's headquarters was made up of nothing but old cargo containers and tarp, a series of makeshift tents connected by narrow hallways. Badger was leading the way while a couple of his mean-looking gunslingers were flanking them. Simon could sense how they kept glaring at his neck and shivered a little.

The room they stepped into was dark and dusty; the only source of light was the natural daylight seeping in through an opening in the roof. The body was laid out on a table and Simon eyed it for a moment before glancing up at the ceiling. "I'll need more light."

"Why?" Badger asked.

"So I can see where I'm cutting." Simon was quickly losing his patience now, but at least that meant some of the fear had left him.

"Why, he's dead, in't he?"

"Look, you want me to this job thorough or not?"

"Hey, no need to get testy." Badger whistled and waved for a couple of his men. "You, get him a lamp or somethin'."

A glance thrown at a workbench situated against the wall told Simon that except for the obvious lack of light, Badger had made sure he was well equipped. Scalpels, retractors and bone saws were laid out, ready to be used, as well as a microscope and several vials of various chemicals.

Simon put on an apron and a pair of gloves before he stepped up the body for a closer look. It was a big, muscular and dark-skinned man with his black hair braided into cornrows. His eyes were still open, staring blankly upwards, and the first thing Simon did was covering his face with a towel. Dead bodies didn't bother him, but the idea of looking someone in the eye while cutting on them, dead or alive, was still a disturbing one.

Badger's men reappeared with a couple of portable lamps, and Simon – now feeling more in his element – ordered them to hold them in place for him while he worked. Picking up a scalpel, he threw one last look at Badger, unsure whether the man was planning to stay in the room during the procedure or not. It turned out to be neither, or a little of both, because he pushed his hat back and strolled out through the door, but swung by now and then to check on the progress later. And every time he left he reminded the guards that Simon was to be shot if he tried to 'do anything funny', as he put it.

Simon tried to ignore him and concentrated on his work. The dead guy had complained about stomachache so he started there, cutting it open and going through the contents of it. He didn't find much of interest.

He glanced up at the men holding the lamps. They seemed totally unaffected by the blood and the gore, and Simon felt another shiver down his back. Even Jayne would make a face when seeing someone's insides, but these guys didn't even flinch and they knew the man he was working on.

In the end it was a blood sample that provided him with the first clue. "Your man was poisoned," he calmly told Badger when the man came back for another update.

This peaked his interest and he stepped closer. "Yeah?"

Simon flipped the microscope's view screen towards him, even though he was quite sure that the pictures and diagrams wouldn't make much sense to the little criminal. "I found traces of Betarin B in his blood. It is lab-created and a quite popular choice among poisoners because of its many… benefits."

"What kind of benefits?"

"Well, depending on the amount, it will take up to twelve hours from the time of ingestion until it starts working. By the time the first symptoms start to appear – severe abdominal pain followed by respiratory problems – it will be too late. The poison's already been completely absorbed by your body and spread throughout your entire system. You'll be dead within ten minutes."

Badger just studied him for a moment, then another grin spread across his face. "Brilliant."

"Brilliant?" Simon repeated, a little confounded.

"Yeah. In twelve hours the killer will be long gone. Brilliant."

"Whoever did this murdered your employee!" Even though Simon knew that Badger's lack of sympathy shouldn't really shock him, it still did.

Badger's face turned grave once again and he glanced at the body. "Yeah, they did. Which probably mean they tried to kill _me._"

"Someone wants you dead? How shocking." Simon coated his voice heavily with sarcasm.

Badger's face snapped back at him. "I want you to find out who."

"_Me_?"

"Yeah, you."

"I'm hardly a murder investigator!"

"Well, you are now." Badger's eyes narrowed and he stuck his face closer to Simon's. "In case you 'aven't noticed, you're at my mercy 'ere, so you'll be what I want you to be, _dong ma?_"

Simon felt a strange mix of anger, frustration and fear grip his body, but he managed to quell it and straightened his back. "And then you'll let me go?"

Badger just glared at him. "You solve this case and prove yourself useful, I'll consider keeping you alive. How's that?"

Simon knew he had no other choice than to agree to those terms and sighed heavily, glancing back at the body. "Okay. Judging by the contents of the stomach," he pointed to the brownish liquid floating in a basin, "your man hasn't eaten since sometime yesterday evening. So I would guess he was poisoned during that last meal. Any idea what that could have consisted of?"

"No, I've been away on business. Just came back this mornin'."

Simon looked to the other men in the room. "What about you?"

One of them, the one still holding the lamp, shrugged. "He ate with us. Nobody else is dead, though."

Simon sighed. "Must have been something else then. What was his last job?"

Badger put his hands in his pockets and stood back on his heels. "I guess he was haulin' crates with the others. That's wha' I paid 'im for. All brawn but no brains, you know the type."

Did he ever. "Man-ape," he mumbled.

"Wha'?"

"Nothing. What crates?"

"Well, I had a shipment leavin' for Greenleaf yesterday."

"A shipment of what?"

"Protein bars. Good quali'y, at a good price." Badger grinned.

"A good price for you, I'm sure," Simon mumbled.

Badger's smile disappeared. "You think I shipped out poisoned protein bars?"

It was Simon's turn to shrug. "Why don't you show me where you had those crates stored."

Five minutes later they were standing in the now empty storage room. Like most other rooms in Badger's 'building' there were no artificial lights there; the only thing piercing the dark was the rays of sunlight seeping through the cracks in the walls. Simon walked around in silence, his attention directed at the floor, while Badger followed in his footsteps, sometimes getting up on his toes to try and peer over his shoulder. "Whatchu lookin' for?" he asked.

"Anything out of the ordinary."

"Like wha'?"

Just then Simon caught sight of what he'd half expected to find. "Like dead rodents," he said and poked the dead rat on the floor with his foot. He gestured for one of Badger's men, who had stayed by the door, to come and pick it up. "Take this back to the lab."

Badger eyed it. "You think it was poisoned too?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. I think your man helped himself to some of your cargo."

Badger grimaced. "It's hard to find honest help these days."

It didn't take long to confirm Simon's theory. "Yes," he said as he, a short while later back inside the makeshift lab, was peering at a blood sample taken from the rat through the microscope, "the protein bars are most likely the source."

"That's…. unfortunate," Badger muttered.

Simon didn't even look up. "You should warn your people on Greenleaf."

"Of course," Badger replied, but he didn't sound convincing.

Simon straightened, his face contracted in a frown of concentration. "But _why _is it poisoned?" he thought out loud. "If it was headed for Greenleaf it can't have been meant for you." He turned to face the smaller man. "Who are you shipping it _for_?"

Badger smiled that unpleasant smile of his. "My clients trust me to be discreet, Doctor. Breaking that oath of confidence is bad for business."

"Customers dropping dead is also bad for business," Simon retorted.

Badger snorted. "Good point." He relented. "It's a gentleman by the name of Hanson. Lives on Avalon. He wants to sell his protein bars off-world, but he's not too keen on payin' the export taxes that comes with it. That's where I step in." He grinned. "Mutual beneficial for the both o' us."

"On Avalon, you say?" Simon bit his lip and thought hard for a moment before looking Badger straight in the eye. "You must give me access to the Cortex. I need to send a wave."

Badger chuckled. "To your cap'n, perhaps? To tell 'im where you are? I don't think so."

Simon didn't take his eyes off him. How stupid did the man really think he was? "No," he said. "But all the clues we've found so far are leading us straight to Avalon. We could use a contact there."


	3. Chapter 3

Simon put his elbows on the counter and leaned in closer to the Cortex screen, staring intently at the blackness of it. His heart surprised him by skipping a beat when he heard the sound of the well-known voice coming through, "_Ni hao?_"

"Inara?" he whispered.

There was a short pause. "Simon?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes it's me. It's good to hear your voice, Inara."

"Yours too." She was smiling; he could hear it. "But why are you on audio only?"

"So he can't see you."

"Who?"

Simon glanced over his shoulder, looking at Badger hovering in the doorway, just out of earshot. Turning back towards the com he said, "I'm at Badger's."

He imagined how her eyes grew wide. "Badger?"

"Yes. He snatched me from the street. I'm… _helping_ him out with something. Look, he doesn't know that I'm talking to you. I told him I was getting in touch with an old friend from Med-Acad and that I needed to talk to him alone."

"And he _let_ you?"

"Yes." Simon couldn't quite hide the surprise from his voice. "It's strange. And a little worrisome. Something's not right." He looked over his shoulder again. "He's watching me though. Hence the black screen."

"Why?" She sounded a little frantic now. "Simon, what is this? Why are you calling me?"

"I need your help."

"Of course." There was another short moment of silence and then her voice returned, laden with worry, "Simon, does he know who you are?"

"I don't think so. He hasn't said or done anything that suggests that."

"What can I do to help? You want me to wave the captain? Tell him where you are."

"No, it's probably best if you don't. Besides, I think Mal already knows where I am. There aren't that many options."

"Then tell me what you need."

He told her. And again she was quiet for some time when he'd finished talking. "Yes, Indigo Hanson is a client of mine," she hesitantly said when she finally spoke again. "But what you're asking me to do, Simon… Spying on a client... I would have to break several Guild rules, not to mention what a serious exploiting of trust it would be. I could get in real trouble for this."

"I know," he simply replied. "It's your call. I won't think ill of you if you choose not to."

He heard her sigh. "But, Simon, how can I not? I owe you." Another sigh. "I'll see what I can do."

"I truly appreciate it. Thank you."

"Can I contact you here on this address? When it's done."

"No. I've rerouted the connection through several servers across most of the system. To keep Badger from finding you."

"You can do that?" She sounded a little amazed.

"Uh, well, I've picked up a useful skill or two in my time."

"So I gather. You'll contact _me_ then?"

"Yes. How much time do you need?"

"A couple of days. If I'm lucky."

"Alright." He nodded even though she couldn't see him. "I'll call you up. And thanks again."

* * *

><p>Getting a client to want to contract with you was one of the basics covered in the Academy. It was a useful, if not a necessary skill for a Companion to have should there ever come a rainy day. Inara was well schooled in the game and it only took an 'accidental' wave to Mr Hanson, followed by an apologetic and casual conversation before he extended an invitation for her to visit him the following night.<p>

Her conscience was still bothering her a little when she left for his estate. He'd sent a cab to pick her up at the Training House, and Avalon wasn't a particular big moon and so the journey took less than twenty minutes. But twenty minutes were still more than enough time to think and to dwell in the memories of her friends, her _family_, back on _Serenity _that the sudden wave from Simon had sparked to life_._ It had only been three months since she'd left them and yet sometimes it felt like a lifetime.

She'd kept in touch with them. Sort of. She received letters from Kaylee and she loved getting those, even though they left her feeling a little empty and sad every time she'd finished reading or re-reading one. She thought of Kaylee now, during the flight to Hanson's place, of how much the young woman adored Simon and how devastated she would be if anything were to happen to him.

And she knew, _again, _that she had to do this.

When they landed at the estate and her pilot opened the door for her and she caught a glimpse of his stoic face, she thought of Zoë, the way you could sometimes find her in the kitchen or at the bridge at night, ever so true and vigilant. As she walked through the park towards the main house she heard someone laugh somewhere behind a bush, and she thought of Wash and his silly stories. When the guards at the door not-so-discreetly checked out her behind as she walked past them and stepped inside, she thought of Jayne, surprised to discover that she even missed _him._

And when she made love to Hanson a couple of hours later, she thought of Mal.

Hanson was an elderly man and quite overweight, and luckily for her didn't have the stamina to last a whole night through. He fell asleep almost instantly after climaxing for the first and only time and she waited until the house seemed quiet before she silently slipped out of bed and went in search for… Well, she wasn't really sure what exactly. Proof that he was up to no good; was poisoning people? Where would you even find that kind of proof?

Probably not out in the open.

This was silly.

She went looking nevertheless.

The hallways were dark and quiet, the whole household seemingly asleep at this hour, and she silently walked from room to room, barefoot to make as little noise as possible. She went past several living rooms, lucrative and delicate, like countless other living rooms she'd seen. She didn't linger; it didn't impress her. Funny how a battered old mid-bulk transport ship seemed more alluring than gold and wealth these days.

She finally found a room more promising: a study. It was quite simple; shelves along the walls packed with expensive looking books that no one probably opened anymore, and a desk with a dark Cortex screen.

She threw one last look over her shoulder, making sure she was alone, and then sat down and tried switching the screen on.

It was password protected.

Of course it was.

She sighed, but just then sensed a movement behind her and she jumped up and spun around. A young man was standing in the doorway, staring at her, and judging by the look on his face he was as surprised as she was. She quickly regained control over herself, though.

It was a man. She could handle this.

"I'm so sorry," she smiled, seductively but discreetly, using her 'feminine wiles' as Mal would have put it. She noticed the mop in his hand. "Am I disturbing you?"

"I… I'm gonna clean this room." He stuttered a little, seemingly unable to take his eyes off her. "I do it at night. When he's not using it. Are you the Companion?"

"I am." She stood, still smiling. "Please, let me get out of your way so you can do your job. I was only trying to get on the Cortex. I needed to send an urgent wave, but…"

"It's password protected," he finished her sentence for her. "I know."

He stepped inside and went up to the desk, but gave her a wide berth as if he were afraid to invade her personal space. "Here," he said. "Let me." He tapped a few keys and the screen came to life. He glanced at her over his shoulder, looking a little embarrassed. "I happen to know the password." He straightened, his face now tinged with fear. "You won't tell on me, will you, miss?"

"Of course not."

"I'll… I'll just clean out here, then, in the meantime." He turned to leave.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked.

He glanced back. "Otto."

"Thank you, Otto." She sounded sincere and in a way she was.

He nodded, smiled a little and left, and she turned back towards the screen, frowning just a little as she did so. That had been almost too easy…

Inara was a woman of many a skill and it didn't take her long to find Hanson's personal files. But she felt that stab of guilt again as she started going through his letters and business transactions. For all she knew this man was innocent, yes he most likely was, and she had no business poking her nose in this. But again the thought of Simon, and Kaylee, and _Serenity… _and Mal, kept her going and a little more than an hour into her search she finally knew what she was looking for.

Because she found it.

It wasn't evidence. Not in the strictest sense of the word. It was a receipt for a shipment of protein bars headed off-world and a transcription of a wave sent to a business associate mentioning 'the stealing, delusional turncoat of a petty criminal' who needed to be 'taught a lesson'.

It wasn't evidence.

But it was enough for her friendly feelings towards Hanson to cool considerably, and hopefully it would also be enough to get Simon out of his predicament. So she downloaded it to her memory stick and then quietly walked back to the bedroom.

Otto was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

><p>Badger seemed – surprisingly enough – quite satisfied with the findings.<p>

"They don't _prove _anything," Simon warned him as he presented him with the documents Inara had sent. "But my hypothesis is that Mr Hanson poisoned his own goods to get back at you."

Badger seemed confused. "How's tha'? I's not gonna eat it."

"No, but the people you're selling it to will, and since this business is going down under the radar nothing will lead back to Hanson. _You _will be the one getting the blame when people start dying."

Badger's face contracted in a pensive frown. "And why? Why's he out to get me? Wha'd I do?"

Simon pointed to the copy of Hanson's transcribed wave shown on the pad he was holding. "He thinks you're stealing from him. That you earn a lot more money on this… _endeavor_ than you're letting on."

The shock on the little man's face didn't look real at all. "Tha's outrageous!"

"Is it really?" Simon raised a brow in a scrutinizing manner.

Badger shrugged and grunted. "The nerve…" But then he popped his head up and grinned broadly. "Well done, Doctor. You're as good as your word, I'm tellin' you. And that friend o' yours on Avalon, too. You tell him my thanks, will you? I'll have this," he pointed to the pad, "_dealt _with."

"It doesn't _prove _anything," Simon warned him again, but Badger wasn't listening. He was already headed for the door, barking orders to his men.

"Can I…," Simon started asking before the door slammed shut. He slumped back in his chair with a sigh. "…go now?" he finished the sentence to no one in particular.

Badger had left a couple of his guards with him. They were both staring at him and he felt a little intimidated when he noticed this, and turned his attention to the pad, pretending to read it.

"So," one of the men said, "Starkey was just unlucky?"

Simon glanced up at him. "Starkey?"

"The dead guy. The one you cut open."

"Well, yes." Simon shifted nervously in the chair. "He ate the poisoned bars. It wasn't meant for him. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Shame," the man muttered. "Makes sense though. Can't see why anybody would want Starkey dead."

Simon could, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

He looked at the pad again, trying to push the discomforting thoughts to the back of his mind. He had a bad feeling about this. He'd solved the case, or at least Badger seemed to think so, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. It seemed like all the answers had come to him a little too easy.

"He was a fine enough fella," the man continued. Simon didn't even bother looking up this time. He felt more relaxed now; he was pretty sure these men weren't going to hurt him, at least not now, and just as with Jayne whenever he bored him with his tall tales, he only half listened.

"Made a fierce pecan and peanut pie," he heard the man say and the whole absurdity about it made him raise his eyebrows a little.

"That so?" he muttered, still not looking up.

"Yup. Made it for us whenever he could get his hands on the ingredients. Never had any of it himself though. Somethin' about peanuts making his head blow up or some such."

This, on the other hand, caught Simon's interest and his eyes narrowed in a quizzical frown as his had snapped up. "He was allergic to peanuts?"

* * *

><p>Inara was a little surprised and a lot worried when Indigo Hanson invited her back to his estate the next day, saying he wanted another night with her. She thought about declining – considering what she knew about him now she didn't really want to contract with him anymore – but she couldn't tell him that without revealing what she'd done, and in the end her curiosity led her to accept the invitation.<p>

She had been a little afraid that she'd been found out. that he'd brought her there to confront her with her little espionage adventure, but he was his lovely, welcoming self when he met her at the door and escorted her through the house. She'd just begun to relax in his presence when they walked past the room she'd been in the night before and she threw a glance inside it that made her forget all about keeping up appearances and stop dead in her tracks.

The study wasn't a study anymore. The desk and the Cortex screen were both gone. Only the bookshelves remained, and everything looked clean and untouched.

"What is it?" he asked, and she pulled herself together enough to smile at him and shake her head.

"My apologies," she said. "I just… Have you been redecorating?" She gestured to the room, just managing to sound casual.

"In here?" He chuckled. "Oh no, this room has been like this for years. It's my reading library and nobody ever uses it, I'm afraid to say."

In Inara's head the pieces began to fall into place, and it wasn't a pleasant sensation. There was another question forming that she didn't really want to ask, because she already knew the answer and most of all because Simon was out of her reach and beyond her help regardless of what it would be.

She asked it anyway.

"You don't have a cleaner named Otto, do you?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Have you decided what you're going to do with me?"

Simon was perched at the edge of a rather uncomfortable chair in Badger's office, and for the last hour or so he'd done nothing but silently watch the criminal conducting his business from behind his desk. But now his patience was wearing thin and he finally asked the unavoidable question.

Badger looked up from his pad long enough to shoot him a warning but somewhat amused glare. "Not really, no," he said.

"You've held me here for three days. I did what you asked me to. I solved your murder case."

"That you did," Badger replied, but he'd already returned his attention to the pad.

Simon stretched his back and quelled a sigh. Then he looked down at himself, frowning. He'd worn Wash's ugly shirt for three days straight now; he was dirty and tired and hungry. Badger had fed him rather scarcely and his appetite hadn't really been that great after all, with all that poison seemingly floating around here.

"Why do you keep me here?" he dared ask.

"I see why Reynolds finds you useful," Badger said without looking up. "And I'm not quite done with you." He tore his eyes away from the pad and flashed that ugly grin of his at Simon. "I want to see just how desperate he is to get you back."

Simon stayed quiet; quite frankly because he couldn't think of anything to say. Badger went back to his work, but the sudden sound of some commotion emitting from the hallway made his head snap back up, the grin even wider on his face.

"Ah, they're here. Finally."

He got up, circled his desk and stopped in front of it, casually leaning back, and he looked extremely pleased and triumphant as the door was opened and his henchmen stepped inside pulling Mal, Zoë and Jayne along.

Simon jumped instinctively to his feet at the sight of them. His felt his face contract in a worried frown as the captain met his eyes. He looked rather resigned, but only for a second and then he turned towards Badger and glared daggers at him.

Badger just kept smiling. "Reynolds!" he saluted. "'Bout time you showed up. It's been three days."

"Well," Mal shrugged nonchalantly, "I had to carefully plan my search and rescue op first."

Badger laughed. "_Clearly, _you didn't plan it well enough."

Mal didn't answer. Simon felt Zoë's eyes on him and looked up to meet them. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine."

"'Course he is!" Badger exclaimed. "I treat my guests very well, everybody knows." His attention caught Jayne who was scowling at him as if trying to kill him – slowly and painfully – with his eyes alone. He just smirked. "Check his boots," he told his men.

One of them did and pulled out a knife Jayne had concealed there. Badger wagged his finger at him. "Naughty." He gestured to the cane. "Take that from him as well." The man did and Jayne's eyes hardened even more. Badger kept smiling. "Aw, don' give me tha', big boy," he said. "It's no' like you need it or anythin'." He grabbed a box of cigars from his desk. "Here, have one."

Jayne, who was not in the habit of turning down anything you could get for free, regardless of whoever offered it to you, took one and let Badger light it for him. He got a warning look from Mal, but either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. He just puffed on the cigar and instantly looked a little happier.

Badger chuckled and turned towards Mal again. "You are, if nothing else, very predictable."

For a long beat everyone was silent. Then Simon eyed Badger and spoke softly, "You planned this, didn't you?" They all looked at him and he pressed the issue, "You set this whole thing up. _You _are the murderer."

Badger cocked an eyebrow. "Well, well," he said, actually sounding quite impressed. "Cookie for you."

Simon shook his head. "Why? You _murdered _your own man just to provide me with a mystery?"

The crook just laughed again. "It was to see you twitch in the net, of course. All of you." And then the laughter and the grin suddenly disappeared and he narrowed his eyes. "I needed to remind you who you're dealing with 'ere. I will not be taken for a fool!" He relaxed a little, quelling some of the rage Simon could see burn inside him. "So yeah, I arranged all this just to prove a point."

"And what would that be?" Mal asked, not sounding very impressed.

Badger turned towards him. "That I'm still smarter than you."

Mal snorted. Badger kept eyeing him, and for a while they were just staring at each other. Then Badger smiled again and looked at Simon instead, "There's just one little problem with your theory, Doctor," he said. "If the poison needs twelve hours to work, how did I poison my employee? See, I wasn't lying about me being away on business that night."

Simon shrugged. "Guess you had someone do it for you."

"Wrong," Badger smirked. "But I bet Jayne 'ere will be able to tell you how in a moment or two."

They all spun around to look at the big man, and he in turn frowned in confusion. "Huh?" he said.

"See," Badger calmly explained, "it works a lot quicker when inhaled."

"Gorramit, Jayne!" the captain yelled. His and Zoë's reaction had been instant. Jayne himself was a little slower on the uptake (nothing new there), but finally he too did realize what was happening and he spat out the cigar, staring wide-eyed at it as it hit the carpet in front of his feet.

"Here we go," Badger said, and as if on cue Jayne doubled over in agony. He crossed his arms over his stomach and fell to his knees with a loud whimper, and he glanced up at Simon, his eyes begging him for help.

"Do something!" Mal yelled, and Simon suddenly realized that he was the one he was yelling at and he forced himself to look away from Jayne and up at his captain.

"There's nothing I can do," he said, and his insides turned cold even as he said it.

"Oh God," Jayne groaned and began coughing violently. He was down on all fours now, retching, but nothing came up. And then he began gasping for air, slowly choking, and Simon knew he could do nothing but watch and hope the suffering wouldn't last too long.

Luckily it didn't, though it felt like a small eternity and Simon was pretty sure it had felt even longer to Jayne, but still he was strangely relieved when the fighting stopped and the big man slumped to the floor, dead silent.

No, just dead.

Simon checked him himself; he dropped to his knees next to him and felt for a pulse, even though he knew it was pointless. Then he solemnly glanced up at the others. Both the captain and Zoë were staring at him, pale and shocked, and he heard himself speak, but the words sounded distant as they came out, "He's dead."

Mal reacted with fury, something that actually caught Simon by surprise. "I'm gonna kill you!" he screamed at Badger and lunged forward, but Badger's men grabbed him and were able to restrain him.

"Oh no, you're not," Badger replied as he knelt next to Simon to check on Jayne himself. Once he was satisfied that there really was no pulse, he got to his feet again and glared at the captain. "I am going to kill _you. _I'm going to kill all of you. And I'm going to take my sweet time doing it. You'll learn soon enough that Jayne was the lucky one, I'm tellin' you."

Mal didn't even flinch. He kept glaring at the smaller man.

"But first we're gonna talk a little," Badger continued. "So behave. Remember, you've got a gun on you." He nodded towards the door where one of his men had taken up guard, his rifle at the ready. "No games, _dong ma?_"

Mal never took his eyes away from him, but relaxed enough for Badger to gesture to his men to loosen their grip on him. "Get rid of that," he ordered them next, pointing to the body, and they grabbed Jayne's bulky frame and hauled it out of the room. Only the guard at the door stayed behind.

"Well," Badger said and sat down at his desk. "'Ere we are. Everything played out just the way I foresaw it." He looked up at them, still grinning. "Really, people, it was _too _easy!"

"You planted the evidence," Simon needlessly remarked.

"Tha' I did," Badger nodded. "Both 'ere and on Avalon." He leaned forward. "Seriously, you didn't think I would know you'd call that companion of yours? I was countin' on you to do it, for Heaven's sake! That's why I had someone infiltrate Mr. Hanson's household. Oh, and for the record, I've never actually done business with the man." He chuckled.

"Why all this scheming?" Simon asked once more.

"I told you. To prove I can. And now I wanna 'ear you a'mi'it."

"Admit what?" Mal growled.

"That you let yourselves be fooled, of course." Badger got up again, rounded the desk and stepped up to him. "See, I've got a reputation I need to maintain, and tha's quite difficult when the likes of you treat me like you did during our last encounter."

"Oh, you had it coming," Mal mumbled.

"Shut your hole!" Badger yelled, his psychotic anger suddenly returning. "The floor is mine, you _qingwa cao de liumang! _You seem to think you can order me around. You're wrong, you 'ear me, _wrong!_ I _made _you what you are. You wouldn't have survived a day in this business if it weren't for me! You owe me _everythin'!_"

Simon half expected Mal to reply in turn but the captain remained silent, which was probably for the best, come to think of it. Badger wasn't done yet, anyhow. He kept screaming out threats and wild accusations with a passion Simon had only seen in raving lunatics. He stopped listening after a while. Instead he thought of River, hoping she was safe and that Shepherd Book would be able to care for her if he was not to get out of this alive.

In the end, Mal lost his patience too. "Oh, gorramit, just shoot me already!" he yelled. "Anything but listening to your bitching another minute."

"Oh, I'm not gonna shoot you," Badger hissed. "I'm gonna kill you slowly."

"I believe he's trying to scream us to death, Captain," Zoë said.

Badger snapped his head in her direction and glared at her. "Still the smartass, eh? We'll see 'ow it is when the torture starts." He looked back at Mal and stuck his face close to his. "Like I said, I'm smarter than you. Get over it!"

Simon heard a small sound behind him and knew the captain had heard it too, because he suddenly flashed his broadest smile at the little crook in front of him. "Except that you're not," he said.

For a second a mask of uncertainty fell across Badger's face. "Wha'?" Then he leaned a little to the left to glance behind Mal and there he could see his guard standing disarmed and with his hands in the air, and next to him, pointing a gun to his head, was Jayne.

The look on Badger's face was priceless. Simon actually caught himself laughing at the sight of it and the little man turned to scowl at him.

Mal clicked his tongue. "You actually thought you had us fooled, didn't you?" he said.

Zoë had gone to join Jayne at the door and he handed her her shotgun before he knocked the guard unconscious with his own. Badger looked from Mal to them and back again, the confusion on his face just growing.

"Sorry, pal," Mal said. "Looks like I'm still a whole lot smarter than you think. Well, at least the doctor is."

Badger glanced at Simon, who nodded. "See, I already knew that you were the one behind this. Honestly, it wasn't that hard to figure out; the whole thing smelled fishy. The _evidence, _if one could even call it that, was just too easy to come buy. The presumed bad guy just happens to live on Avalon and just _happens_ to be client of Inara Serra's? Come on, one would think even you could do better than that."

Badger's eyes narrowed, but he didn't look threatening at all anymore. Simon continued, "What really tipped me off, though, was the fact that the victim was allergic to peanuts. Yes, his friends told me. And even a good-for-nothing miscreant of his caliber would know that peanut butter is one of the main ingredients in protein bars. He wouldn't have eaten it. And that led me to believe he must have been poisoned some other way." He paused dramatically and paced the floor a little, enjoying the moment maybe a little too much. "Which in turn led me to the cigars; the one thing you always seem to be happy to share with your men. And so I swapped them. The one Jayne smoked was actually harmless. The poisonous ones are now next door, in the front office, where your men are assembled right now."

"So as long as they're not in the habit of touching things don't belong to 'em, they should be safe," Mal said and then sarcastically added, feigning worry, "Oh, that's right, they're crooks."

Zoë kicked open the door to glance outside, then turned back towards Badger, grimacing slightly. "Oops."

"So I called Inara back," Simon continued, "and she waved the captain and we cooked up this little plan of ours."

"Quite cunning, don't you think?" Mal added.

Badger kept his face a steely mask as he shifted his gaze to Jayne. "You were dead," he pointed out.

"Bifodan," Simon explained. "A small container clenched between the teeth, bite down on it when it's time and it will slow down the cerebral and cardiac activity to the point where it's damn near undetectable. Don't feel bad, it would even fool me," he added smilingly. "A dosage as small as the one Jayne got will only last for five to ten minutes, but…" He glanced at the mercenary. "That proved to be more than sufficient."

"Yeah," Jayne nodded. "You shoulda seen the looks on your men's faces when I returned from the dead. Those that was still alive, that is."

"Convincing death scene, by the way," Mal told him. "I honestly didn't think you had it in you, but you coulda fooled me."

"Much appreciated." Jayne stepped closer, aiming his gun at Badger's head. "Now, can I shoot this loser already?"

"Nah," Mal grinned. "It's more fun to spare him, don't you think? Let him live knowing that we are, and will always be, smarter than him. Isn't that so, Badger?"

"Go to hell," Badger snarled.

Mal kept smiling. "Goodbye, Badger." His smile disappeared as he leaned in closer. "And don't you ever, _ever _come near me again."

He turned to leave and shot Jayne a look as he did so. "You look a little green," he commented and even as the last word still lingered on his lips, Jayne buckled over and threw up; the contents of his stomach splashing all over Badger's shoes and pants.

"Oh, and that's a common side effect to the drug," Simon mock apologized.

Jayne frowned a little at the mess he'd made, but then just shrugged. "Sorry," he said and followed his captain out of the room. Badger didn't even move, he stiffly stayed in the same spot as long as they had him in sight.

"You empty his safe?" Mal asked Jayne as they stepped out of the building a few moments later.

"Yup, wasn't even hard. The coin's on its way back to the boat with Wash and Kaylee."

Mal chuckled. "I wish I could have seen the bastard's face when he realizes we took all his money." He patted Simon on the back. "Nice work, Doc."

Simon smiled a little. "Yeah, let's just get home."

He looked around at the others and noticed that Jayne had reclaimed his cane. "Badger's right, you know," he told him. "You don't really need that."

Jayne shrugged. "It's proved useful."

Simon shook his head. "Whatever."

.

.

They were almost home before Mal dared ask, but as they approached _Serenity_, he discreetly pulled Simon aside. "Are you gonna tell me how Inara got involved in this?" he pried.

"Well, I waved her," Simon answered truthfully. "Called in some old favors. I never meant for her to get into trouble. I didn't know the full extent of Badger's plan at that point."

"So…" Mal found it surprisingly hard to look him in the eyes and ended up staring at something non-existing on the sleeve of his shirt. "Did she say anything?"

"About what?"

"About… anything."

"We talked about the case," Simon frowned. "That's it."

"Okay." Just to make it really clear that this conversation was now over, Mal picked up his pace and hurried after Zoë who was leading the party. The cargo bay doors opened just as they stepped up to the ship, and Kaylee came running out as soon as the gangway hit the ground.

"Simon!" she shouted and threw herself at him. "Simon, I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's not your fault," Simon muttered, seemingly a little uncomfortable.

"Come on, let's go," Mal impatiently urged them. "Everybody inside. I wanna get off this gorram world." He went over to the com panel and hit the button. "Wash, get us in the air!"

They piled in and soon the engines hummed to life. Mal spotted Zoë standing next to a crate, smiling broadly at the contents of it, and stepped up to her to have a look at the money himself. He whistled at the sight of it. "This should be enough for us to buy a new mule," he said.

Zoë flashed him a smile. "We did good today," she agreed.

As she and Jayne hauled the crate away, Mal made his way towards the commons and witnessed the somewhat awkward reunion of the Tam siblings. River seemed more interested in spewing out her thoughts on the colors of people's hearts than acknowledging her brother's presence. Mal shook his head, a small smile spreading on his lips, and walked passed them and down the little staircase. Outside the infirmary he ran into Shepherd Book.

"God day, preacher," he saluted him.

"Captain, may I have a word with you?"

Mal abruptly stopped at the tone in the older man's voice. Whatever was on Book's mind it was something he was dead serious about. "What is it?"

"I believe it's time for me to make good on the threat I directed at you three months ago."

Mal frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to disembark."

For some reason hearing this made Mal feel sad and hurt, which surprised him, but he was determined not to let it show. "Of course," he said and forced himself to look the shepherd in the eye.

"I've received words from Torsten Norby. You remember him, the welder from Shahadeva?" Mal nodded. "Well, he'll be settling down on Haven next month. He wishes for me to join him there. And I intend to."

"For how long?"

"Indefinitely."

For one long moment they just looked at each other.

"Of course," Mal said again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** I managed to wrap this up just in time, as I will be spending the next three weeks with the Norwegian Civil Defence Corps and won't be able to post anything during that period. But I fully intend to return sometime after that with the next installment in this series, 'Family' :)_

_Thanks for reading and reviewing :)_


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